Account

Sky Bet kicks off advertising review

Agencies are vying to gain a place on the BSkyB roster after Sky Bet, its gambling division, put its advertising account up for pitch.

Sky Bet: has worked with WCRS, which created the ‘excitement of uncertainty’ TV spot

The company has approached both roster and non-roster agencies to invite them to pitch for the business.

Sky Bet spends around £3 million on advertising, according to Nielsen. However, the media value exceeds this considerably as it includes online advertising and promotional space on Sky Sports that is not paid for.

The account was most recently handled by WCRS, which claims it only works on the brand on a project basis.

WCRS created a TV ad for Sky Bet in September last year called "excitement of uncertainty", which it said was intrinsic to betting. The spot followed a punter pondering the possibilities that could unfold over the course of a football season. The ad ran for two months on Sky Sports ahead of football matches and across online and social media channels.

Sky Bet has also worked with MBA, which developed a campaign around the Euro 2012 tournament, and the agency Us. Us created a spot featuring Harry Redknapp to promote Sky’s fantasy football competition.

WCRS, a Sky roster shop, has worked on the account since 2011 and introduced the strapline: "Nothing’s certain. That’s why it’s exciting."

Sky Bet had previously used its in-house marketing team to create ad campaigns using the tagline: "It matters more when there’s money on it."

The company primarily offers an online betting service, but customers can also access it on their mobile or through their TV via the red button.

The media planning and buying account, handled by MediaCom, is not affected by the review.